Work Group: Food Authenticity
Leader: carcea [AT] inran [dot] it (Marina Carcea) (INRAN)
Co-Leader: simon [dot] kelly [AT] fera [dot] gsi [dot] gov [dot] uk (Simon Kelly) (FERA)
Authenticity Contact Point: melini [AT] inran [dot] it (Francesca Melini) (INRAN)
Food Authenticity - General considerations
Determining the authenticity of foods means to uncover (i) the misdescription of foods not meeting the requirements for a legal name, (ii) the substitution by cheaper but similar ingredients, (iii) undeclared processes (e.g. irradiation, freezing) and/or extension of food using adulterant (water, starch), and (iv) incorrect origin, e.g. geographic, species or method of production.
Food authenticity issues fall, in fact, into one of the following categories: (i) economic adulteration of high value foods; (ii) misdescription and/or mislabelling of geographical, botanical or species origin; (iii) non-compliance with the established legislative standards and/or (iv) implementation of non acceptable process practices (e.g. irradiation, freezing).
Nowadays, the objective assessment of food authenticity has become of paramount importance, as consumers daily come into contact with a great variety of foods. Globalisation means, in fact, that more and more foods are traded around the world. Traceability has thus become a cornerstone of the EU’s food safety policy, being it a risk-management tool which enables food business operators or authorities to withdraw or recall products which have been identified as unsafe. The increasing complexity and length of the food chain, as well as recent food scares, have, in fact, also added to public sensitivity regarding the origin of food, and have stressed the need for tools ensuring that foods are of a high quality and safe to be eaten when they reach the consumer.
Considering the above, the Working Group on Food Authenticity has brought together experts (read more about members and sub-groups) from different backgrounds in order to address authenticity and traceability issues, to identify any gap and need in this field and to offer legislators, control authorities and any interested party, objective, validated and harmonised means to measure food authenticity attributes.
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